Chapter 114: Leapfrog Promotion! Third-class Director! Independent Production Department!
Omagari City, Akita Prefecture.
As Hiroshi Nohara slowly drove into the parking lot of the coffee shop he was both familiar with and unfamiliar with, in a brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser that his younger brother had sent someone to drive back from Tokyo, the entire coffee shop seemed to press the pause button.
All eyes, like iron filings attracted by a magnet, focused squarely on the imposing steel behemoth that seemed out of place among the simple sedans around it.
The car door opened, and a man with a sturdy build and a resolute face, dressed in a sharp Armani suit, stepped out of the driver’s seat.
He was none other than Hiroshi Nohara himself, who had undergone a complete transformation under his younger brother’s “devilish renovation.”
Looking at the girl named Ikuna Sakuruda in the coffee shop, who was staring at him with a look of astonishment, his honest heart began to beat wildly, beyond his control.
He took a deep breath, recalling what his younger brother had told him on the phone.
“Brother, be confident. You are no longer an ordinary farmer. You are the president of a company managing hundreds of hectares of land, with an annual income of tens of millions. A guy who drives a beat-up car and gives a few wilted roses doesn’t deserve to compete with you.”
Hiroshi Nohara’s back straightened unconsciously.
He walked in with an unprecedented, steady, and determined stride into the small coffee shop that might decide his fate for the rest of his life.
“Miss Ikuna.”
His voice no longer stammered or showed inferiority, but was filled with the magnetic depth of a mature man: “I wanted to thank you for your kindness the other day. I’d like to invite you… to dinner to express my gratitude!”
“Hiroshi… Nohara-kun!?”
Ikuna Sakuruda stared blankly at the man in front of her, who seemed to have stepped out of a fashion magazine, exuding masculine charisma.
She had already had a good impression of Hiroshi Nohara. A blush, which she hadn’t even noticed herself, suddenly appeared on her pretty face, which always wore a gentle smile.
“I… I…” She nodded instinctively.
However, at this moment, a discordant voice interrupted.
“Hey! Who are you? Can’t you see I’m talking to Miss Ikuna?!”
A young man in a floral shirt, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a slicked-back hairstyle, holding a bouquet of vibrant roses, stood between them with a displeased look.
He scrutinized Hiroshi Nohara with eyes full of a sense of superiority, but his gaze was somewhat off.
This guy seemed to be quite wealthy.
And he also saw the brand-new Toyota Land Cruiser outside, his eye twitching slightly.
That SUV was not cheap.
But he didn’t want to show weakness.
“A bumpkin from the countryside, even in imperial robes, can’t become a prince. Miss Ikuna is not someone like you who can aspire to.”
As he spoke, he presented the roses in his hand to Ikuna Sakuruda, his face beaming with a self-important smile: “Miss Ikuna, these are the latest variety of Blue Violets, specially flown in for you from Holland. Tonight, I’ve booked a table at the best French restaurant in the city. Would you… do me the honor?”
These words were filled with unconcealed boasting and a condescending tone of charity.
A look of embarrassment appeared on Ikuna Sakuruda’s face.
She instinctively cast her gaze towards the silent man who had been calmly observing everything from the beginning.
Hiroshi Nohara remained silent.
He simply looked at the slick-haired man, a trace of icy indifference, seemingly infected by his brother’s “overbearing aura,” flashed in his honest eyes.
“You need to pretend, pretend like those big shots in the movies.”
Hiroshi Nohara recalled his brother’s teachings.
So, he slowly reached into the inner pocket of his expensive suit and pulled out the futuristic Panasonic P100, which his brother had given him.
Then, under the astonished and bewildered gazes of everyone present, he pressed the dial button.
Of course, he didn’t actually dial.
After all, acting…
Everyone has some basic skills.
The question is, how many Japanese people today truly understand mobile phones?
“Hello, Hiroshi? It’s me.”
His voice was calm yet full of power.
“I’ve thought about the agricultural corporation matter. We’ll do as you say. Send the money as soon as possible. I’ve already found the land. And I’ve found the people.”
“Okay, that’s all. Goodbye.”
He hung up the phone decisively.
Then, he casually placed the mobile phone, a symbol of wealth and status not commonly found in Akita Prefecture, on the table, producing a crisp, textured sound.
He looked at the slick-haired man, who was already dumbfounded by his actions, and a simple, yet absolutely confident smile, curled at the corner of his lips.
“Excuse me, I was just… closing a deal worth tens of millions.”
His voice, not loud at this moment, was like a heavy bomb, fiercely striking the hearts of everyone present!
The slick-haired man stared blankly at the high-tech mobile phone on the table, then at Hiroshi Nohara’s expensive suit, and finally, his gaze fell on the imposing steel behemoth outside the window.
His face, which had been full of a sense of superiority, instantly turned from red to white, then from white to green, finally settling into a pig-liver color filled with horror.
He finally realized that he seemed to have… provoked a big shot he absolutely couldn’t afford to offend.
“Is Hiroshi Nohara… really this capable?!”
And Ikuna Sakuruda, looking at the man before her who decided a deal worth tens of millions in a casual conversation, yet maintained his simplicity and honesty, her clear eyes were already filled with a brilliant starlight called “worship.”
With almost no hesitation, she gave the already crestfallen slick-haired man a polite, yet distant smile.
“Excuse me, Mr. Fujiwara. Tonight, I already have… plans.”
As she spoke, her gaze turned to the man who made her heart race, and a captivating blush appeared on her pretty face, which always wore a gentle smile.
“Mr. Nohara, you… you said you wanted to invite me to dinner just now, didn’t you?”
Hiroshi Nohara looked at her expectant eyes, and at this moment, his honest heart was completely filled with an unprecedented, scalding flood of happiness.
He grinned, revealing a simple smile, brighter than the sunlight outside.
“Yes!”
This simple “yes” from Hiroshi Nohara’s honest throat carried a weight and sincerity that could shake mountains.
The simple smile on his tanned face was like the most abundant rice ears in August in Akita Prefecture, golden and full of the joy of harvest.
Seeing him like this, Ikuna Sakuruda’s young heart, like a small stone dropped into water, rippled with circles of shyness and joy. She lowered her head, a captivating blush rising on her fair cheeks, and her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s: “Then… then we…”
“Let’s go!”
Before she could finish, Hiroshi Nohara, like an energetic bull, grabbed the Panasonic P100, a symbol of wealth and status, from the table with one hand, and naturally took her soft, boneless hand with the other, and strode towards the door.
His demeanor was one of undeniable male dominance.
He left behind the slick-haired man named Fujiwara, standing like a weathered statue, his face, once full of superiority, now showing only undisguised, unfathomable shock and humiliation.
He watched their departing figures, watched the imposing steel behemoth let out a low roar as it sped away.
He felt his worldview shatter.
…
Tokyo, Television Station Production Bureau Headquarters Building.
A high-level meeting concerning the future of the factions was quietly underway in Director Nobuhiko Sakata’s office.
The air was filled with a complex atmosphere, but ultimately, it was cause for celebration.
This was a great victory for Tokyo Television Station.
How could they not be happy?
“27.5%…”
Nobuhiko Sakata, the patriarch of the Production Bureau, tapped lightly with his finger on the ratings report on his desk, a report that would drive any television station to madness. His usually smiling face was now filled with an unfathomable calm.
His gaze slowly swept over the two people sitting opposite him.
On the left was Asumi, the leader of the Kanto Faction, his face unable to hide his joy.
On the right was Toshihide Takada, the number two person of the Tokyo Faction.
His usually somber face now wore a forced smile, but the gloom in the depths of his eyes was so dark it could drip water. His icy eyes were fixed on the report, like a viper that had all its prey stolen.
“A brand-new variety show’s premiere in the afternoon slot, and its ratings are even higher than our station’s flagship prime-time drama,” Nobuhiko Sakata said, his voice not loud, but like a heavy hammer striking everyone’s hearts: “Gentlemen, what are your thoughts on this matter?”
“I believe this is a victory for our entire Tokyo Television Station!”
Asumi was the first to speak, his voice loud and full of politically correct enthusiasm: “This shows that our station’s innovation capability is still number one in all of Japan! It also shows that under your wise leadership, Director Sakata, our Production Bureau has truly achieved meritocracy!”
His words were flawless, praising the director and skillfully attributing the credit to the entire television station.
Moreover.
Wasn’t this the excuse Toshihide Takada had used to suppress him back then?
To consider the overall situation!
To look at the overall interests of Tokyo Television Station!
Now that he said it himself.
It felt so satisfying!
“…” Toshihide Takada’s eye twitched.
“Deputy Director Asumi is right,” he squeezed out these words between his teeth, his voice dry as if it had been ground by sandpaper: “Hiroshi Nohara is indeed… very talented. It was our Tokyo Faction who misjudged him and didn’t give him more authority.”
He actually admitted his mistake.
“Hmm!?” This made Asumi’s eyebrows unconsciously raise, and he instinctively became more vigilant.
“However…” Toshihide Takada changed his tone, and a barely perceptible, viper-like cold glint flashed in his icy eyes: “Talent is a double-edged sword. Used well, it can expand territory; used poorly, it can also… hurt oneself.”
He looked at Nobuhiko Sakata, his tone filled with “concern for the greater good”:
“Director, although Mr. Nohara has achieved remarkable success, he is still too young, and his style of doing things is too… radical. For one person to be simultaneously responsible for three flagship programs with ratings that could go down in history is unheard of in the entire history of Japanese television. I worry… I worry that due to excessive pressure and lack of energy, he will ultimately cause irreversible problems in all three projects. That would be a devastating blow to our entire television station.”
These words, while seemingly expressing concern for Hiroshi Nohara, were in fact using the most malicious open scheme to lay a fatal trap for him.
— Meritorious service that overshadows the sovereign, a towering tree catches the wind.
He wanted to use this method to provoke the most sensitive string of suspicion in Nobuhiko Sakata’s heart, the string belonging to a superior.
However, Nobuhiko Sakata just listened with a smile, his always squinted eyes flashing with the cunning of an old fox.
He picked up his teacup, blew on the hot air, and said unhurriedly, “Mr. Takada’s concerns are very valid. Mr. Asumi, what do you think?”
“I believe Deputy Director Takada’s concerns are unnecessary.”
Asumi’s face maintained its serene and gentle smile: “Mr. Nohara’s abilities are evident to all of us. Furthermore, he has already fully delegated the production of World of the Strange Season 2 and An Shizhi to Kenji Sato, Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, and Kei Tanaka. He is now merely a macro-level controller. I believe he has enough energy to handle it.”
“Is that so?” Toshihide Takada sneered, his voice filled with disdain: “Handing over such important projects to a group of… defeated rivals? Asumi, you are truly generous.”
“Defeated rivals?” Asumi’s smile remained unchanged, but a cold sharpness flashed in his refined eyes: “Deputy Director Takada, please don’t forget who it was that forced Kei Tanaka and the others into being defeated rivals. And who, after acquiring the ace IP of An Shizhi, couldn’t even make a decent splash.”
These words were like an invisible slap, fiercely striking Toshihide Takada’s face, burning with pain.
“You—!” Toshihide Takada did not expect the other party to want to flip the table directly.
This was in front of Director Sakata!
This was Japan!
Everyone had to fight without breaking, and not show their true colors!
“Enough!”
In this tense atmosphere, Nobuhiko Sakata finally put down his teacup, and his voice instantly calmed the situation.
All the smile had disappeared from his usually smiling face, replaced by an irrefutable authority befitting an absolute power holder.
“What time is it, and you’re still engaging in these unsavory internal struggles!”
He surveyed them both, his squinted eyes shooting out two cold glares: “Those guys from Osaka TV and Kansai TV are practically kicking down the door of our Production Bureau! They’re even offering triple the salary to poach our talent! You two, as my right and left hands, instead of thinking about how to unite against external enemies and stabilize morale, you’re still here, bickering over these petty gains! Do you… want me, your director, to become a laughingstock of the entire Japanese television industry?!”
These words, sonorous and forceful, were like a basin of ice water poured over their heads, dousing the flames of factional strife in their hearts.
“Director, I…” Toshihide Takada still wanted to explain something.
“Hmm!?”
But as Director Sakata gave him a look, his heart sank.
Now… he had become the one who was being unfairly treated!
“I…”
So, in his shock, Takada lowered his head like a child who had done something wrong.
Adaptable!
“Hmph.” Nobuhiko Sakata snorted, and his plump face regained its usual smiling expression, as if the previous thunderous rage had been just an illusion.
He looked at them and unhurriedly dropped a bombshell that would shake the entire office.
“Regarding Hiroshi Nohara’s position, I have already discussed it with the board of directors.”
He paused, savoring the shocked and bewildered gazes they cast upon him.
“The board unanimously decided that in view of Hiroshi Nohara’s excellent and irreplaceable contributions to the three projects, World of the Strange, An Shizhi, and Super Change Change Change…”
“Starting next month, he will be officially promoted from Fourth-Class Director to—”
Nobuhiko Sakata’s voice, like the chime of a decisive bell, clearly entered everyone’s ears.
“Third-Class Director. And he will serve as the Head of the newly established 【Hiroshi Nohara Independent Production Department】!”
“Boom—!”
This decision was like a real atomic bomb, exploding in the minds of Asumi and Toshihide Takada!
Third-Class Director!
Head of the Independent Production Department!
This was no longer a simple exceptional promotion!
This was… a meteoric rise!
One had to understand that within Tokyo Television Station’s strict hierarchical system, moving from Fourth-Class Director to Third-Class Director was a chasm that would make countless people gnash their teeth and sweat profusely for years, an insurmountable barrier!
Ordinary people, without ten years of seniority and a few impressive works, wouldn’t even dare to dream of it!
And that young man… he had only been at the television station for less than a year!
And what was the Independent Production Department?
It was a treatment enjoyed by Second-Class Directors, allowing them full responsibility for their own production planning and programs, establishing their own offices, allocating staff, and even having some financial and personnel authority within their production department.
“Director! This… this is against the rules!” Toshihide Takada was the first to react, standing up abruptly, his somber face almost disbelieving.
He knew that some of his Second-Class Directors did not have the benefits of an Independent Production Department!
Now it was directly given to Hiroshi Nohara.
A young man who hadn’t even been employed for half a year!?
Even if he were promoted to a director-level position now, he would still only be a young director at the Third-Class Director level!
